Community Forums

PushedAround · 03-08-2014, 09:14 PM

If you can convince him that smaller is better then he is a lucky man...I mean with downsizing your motorhome, less expense, easier to drive, better mileage, yeah that's it.

wanderso · 04-02-2014, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Radios

Any links or photos on line to the new Chinooks?

Yes. Here are some photos of the first off the line of the new model. Pricing isn't set yet

http://www.chinookrvclub.net/newchinook.html

Old Radios · 04-03-2014, 06:46 AM

Thanks for the photo link. Those look really nice. I will have to check them out.

deminimis · 04-03-2014, 09:54 AM

Making a blanket statement that smaller is better doesn't really work. Obviously it is user dependent. There are benefits to both. Yup, time to pull out a piece of paper and make two columns of pluses and minuses (insofar as it relates to you guys). With a fam of four, we started with a Westy, then a Sportsmobile, then a big truck camper and now our 30' Super C until we found the correct size. Much bigger, and some state parks become off limits. Much smaller, kind of unique in out situtaiton because of the chassis, we'd loose maneuverability with the rig (yes, F-550 chassis turns tighter than my pickup our our former E-Series van...weird that), towing capacity, ride comfort and inside comfort. Just got to find that right mix that works for you guys.

Steve Ownby · 04-03-2014, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeannie Ann

We bought our first motorhome last year, 2008 Winnebago Outlook. I was, and will continue to be, the main camper and driver. I would really like something a bit smaller that gets better mpg and is easier to maneuver around the campgrounds. I am thinking about the Winnebago View. Any ideas on how I convince my husband that this is a good move?

It really depends on your needs and requirements.

Your Milage will go from 7-8 to 13-15. You won't notice a significant improvement in maneuvering. You will lose interior space but maybe more importantly you will lose holding tank and fuel tank capacity. It might be harder to find someone to service the Sprinter chassis. Don't know if you have leveler or not but the View doesn't have them. HWH, just down the road from Winnie makes a system for the Sprinter chassis and will install for about $4k.

Not trying to discourage as the View/ Navion is certainly a well executed unit. Just be sure you know what you want to accomplish because at best you will take a $$$ hit.

Larryhuk · 04-03-2014, 03:09 PM

We live in England and travel throughout the UK and some of Europe. Our roads are smaller than those in the US but our 29ft Siesta on Triton is perfect and goes wherever we want . If we want to explore tiny places we take toad.
For economy ours is converted to LPG which is around half the price of gas over here, so our mpg cost is equal to around 18 mpg (UK imp gallons)

wanderso · 04-03-2014, 07:59 PM

What I like about our rig is that it also becomes viable for day trips such as the beach, a state park without camping facilities for the day, the mountains to a trailhead, Sunday afternoon lunch at a nearby lake, will park in a handicapped parking spot (wife needs) and other urban locations easily. This allows us to use it more often at the spur of the moment and for a comfortable ride and staging location for outings.

I could also see it being a great option for tailgating at games.

I like the longer rigs with a walk around bed too. If I was a rich man, I'd have both.

Old Radios · 04-04-2014, 08:02 AM

We have a 27' C now. It's a good size for camping for my wife, the dog, and I.

We had a 19' B Camper van before that but really too small for all of us. it was OK for a couple of days but the fold out bed made the thing unusable for the other if one of us was tired. That being said I would love to have another smaller B type camper for when it's just me and the dog but no way is my wife going to go for owning two.

carolp495 · 04-04-2014, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Radios

We have a 27' C now. It's a good size for camping for my wife, the dog, and I.

We had a 19' B Camper van before that but really too small for all of us. it was OK for a couple of days but the fold out bed made the thing unusable for the other if one of us was tired. That being said I would love to have another smaller B type camper for when it's just me and the dog but no way is my wife going to go for owning two.

We have owned three B's which I loved two of them, one not so much. They were great for going anywhere around town and no problem parking them anywhere and can't beat the gas mileage, but like your wife our last 22' Sprinter van, well we brought the cat and her gear and between steeping over the chubby cat and my husband and I squeezing around each other, I thought there was no way I could drive across the country and still be speaking by the time we got back home, so hence the 24'10" Coachman Prism 24G with two slides and a queen walk around and a real bathroom, and I am so happy with the Coachman but if we won the lottery the first thing I would want to do is buy a small sprinter van RV just so I could drive it anywhere everyday, have everything at my fingertips all the time.

carolp495 · 04-04-2014, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby

It really depends on your needs and requirements.

Your Milage will go from 7-8 to 13-15. You won't notice a significant improvement in maneuvering. You will lose interior space but maybe more importantly you will lose holding tank and fuel tank capacity. It might be harder to find someone to service the Sprinter chassis. Don't know if you have leveler or not but the View doesn't have them. HWH, just down the road from Winnie makes a system for the Sprinter chassis and will install for about $4k.

Not trying to discourage as the View/ Navion is certainly a well executed unit. Just be sure you know what you want to accomplish because at best you will take a $$$ hit.

Regarding the Sprinter Chassis, that is definitely something to take into consideration as Steve stated. I love the Sprinter Chassis and the ride is more sports car then RV and a dream to drive , but we have to travel 30 miles to the one and only Mercedes dealership in our area. We are at their mercy and it is a real pain having to deal with them and not having any other options, so that is certainly something to look at closely, although
Another thing to keep in mind is that even though you get to go 10,000 miles before oil changes, I have been told that oil changes are very expensive.

We looked at the Navions because we were looking for something small enough that we would not have to pull a car, but we had a height restriction for storage and the Navion came in to tall, but they always catch my eye when we are going down the road and one passes by.

Touch decision

, good luck.

smiller · 04-04-2014, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carolp495

Another thing to keep in mind is that even though you get to go 10,000 miles before oil changes, I have been told that oil changes are very expensive.

They aren't really any more than any diesel oil change. The engine takes 13 quarts but so do most diesels, and the specified oil is expensive at full price but it is frequently on sale for the same price as any other quality synthetic oil. Beyond that the labor part is as simple as can be.

I think the 'high cost' stuff comes from dropping the vehicle off at a MB dealer along with your keys and credit card. That is always expensive...

Davdeb1 · 04-04-2014, 08:15 PM

Sorry to ask, but who does the driving? You are going to blow the fuel economy thing by the big depreciation hit. You will not recoup in 15 years. I see the concern about maneuverability in campgrounds. You are talking 5 feet length, and a huge loss of interior space.
I can see the attraction of the unit you are looking at. The look and promise of better maneuverability are tempting, but not that great in real life.

Oh one other thing, the huge loss of storage.

seb1899 · 04-07-2014, 05:40 PM

We went from a 30' Rockwood Signature Ultra lite 8285WS to a Tioga Montara 25k and are pleasantly suprised with the storage capability.

Everyting from our fiver fit in the Tioga and we have storage space left over. Counter space is much improved (we grill and cook most of our meals when in Florida State Parks for 10+ weeks each winter), This size unit opens up a lot more sites than when we towed the fiver with our long bed Silverado xtended cab LMM Duramax Diesel but we will take a hit on mpg. I used to calculate the 10% premium over regular for diesel would yield 25% over gas as far as mpg but the cost of diesel has crept up along with the dilution with biodiesel (not as many btu's).

I can camp in more spots and can easily shop for groceries or go out for dinner with this rig.

The negatives are small - no sofa for the Labrador (her bed is now under the table) and my wife gets the rocker recliner - oh well c'est la vie.

I sure like the idea of towing nothing and setup and breaking camp is a snap. Wish I had skipped the fiver after 2 bumper pulls and got the C sooner

smiller · 04-07-2014, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Radios

it was OK for a couple of days but the fold out bed made the thing unusable for the other if one of us was tired.

Yep, all the tricky converta-bed options look great in the showroom but aren't very convenient on the road. When buying a B+ or small Class C I'd recommend a unit with a dedicated bed, unless you don't mind fussing with the conversion every single morning and night. Many don't mind, but it's sure not for me.